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I really should be posting a Shmakova update, but I haven’t played them in weeks (even though I have something like 3 updates worth of pics), and I’ve been focusing all my creative energies on Gnomesby. RL is still kicking my patootie, so I’m just doing what I find the most fun.

As a side note, I was determined to finish the Shmakova legacy — just so I could say I’ve finished something besides the Shanleys, dangnabbit — but legacy play just isn’t doin’ it for me lately. Sorry, Joe! I’ll get back to you one of these days. Maybe.

One good thing about the Founders Challenge — it got me Simming again. It reminded me how much I like to build lots and create Sims and putz around landscaping a ‘hood. I’ve been having a grand old time. So I thought I’d share some more Gnomesby pics in lieu of a Shmakova update.

You may notice a few changes here around Gnomesby — new WordPress theme, weird links to The Franchesca Diaries, random ’80s lyrics showing up in the header — and you may ask yourself, “Well, how did I get here?”

Well, I will tell you. In the spirit of laziness I’ve decided that creating a brand new blog for Fran was too much work, so I’m just going to use this here Gnomesby site. Since Franny will end up in Gnomesby eventually, it works.

But…I couldn’t just let the site be, you know? I had to futz with it and spiff it up a bit. Now that I have it the way I want it (well, except for a nice graphic up top, but I’m working on that), it’s all ready for me to start posting stories.

Hey, all! Just wanted to let you know I’m still alive and Simming. I took a long break from the game, but I’ve started up again recently and am working on an actual STORY! I still have weird graphics issues, but hopefully they won’t detract too much from the pictures.

Here’s a little sneak preview pic:

I’m also working on a new web site which will be completely Fran-oriented. All of her stories on Mt. Geneva will be copied over to it, and she will be having some new adventures. Stay tuned.

Hey guys, just wanted to let you know for any who are interested that the SimScribes forum is back up and running! I have upgraded it to phpBB 3.0 and deleted all of the nasty spam. My apologies if I deleted some legitimate posts or users during the process…but I tried to be careful. Also, it has a new address, though the old URL will redirect to the new one for the time being.

So. You probably knew this was coming. I have decided to go in a completely different direction with Gnomesby. Again.

Yeah, yeah. I know. I can never make up my mind. But, after months of struggle, I think I’ve finally figured put my problem. What I’ve been trying to do, rather unsuccessfully, is build a ‘hood like Jade’s. I mean, come on, who wouldn’t want their own version of Thyme? Not an exact copy, mind you, but something just as creative and cool and immersive? Every time I read her site, I’m like, “Dayum, woman! Why can’t I do that??” And then I try to do that, and I fail. The reasons are numerous. For one, I’m not Jade. Obviously. As far as I’m concerned, the woman is a genius. There is no one like her in the entire Sims 2 community. And there never will be. She’s like Highlander, you know? THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

Secondly, aside from being not-Jade, I happen to be very much ME. And me is pretty much all over the place. I change my mind constantly, I’m terrible at organizing things, I have no discipline to speak of, etc. And I’m not saying all that to put myself down. Not at all. I just know what kind of person I am. Trying to shove my flibbertigibbet brain into a differently-shaped box just isn’t going to work. I’m not patient enough for this large-scale ‘hood-building. I miss writing stories. I miss having just one or two families on which to focus. I hate that I can’t build my perfect dream town because The Sims 3 isn’t out yet.

So here’s what I’m going to do: I make no promises, of course, but the next time I post, I will be posting a story. It will still involve Gnomesby (I refuse to change the name of this site!). It will also involve some characters you might know from my old site. And we’ll just see what happens from there.

I spent some time this past weekend working on Gnomesby’s town square, so I thought I’d share a few pics. It doesn’t have an official name yet, so it’s just “Town Square” for now. Exciting, eh? It’s also unfinished, but that’s OK, because this is just my first pass — I’ll go back later and tweak everything to my heart’s content. (And I can already tell this lot is going to need a TON of tweaking. Oy.)

Myron Luxton enjoys a cup of hot cocoa

So far this community lot includes a rollerskating rink (which will be switched over to an ice-skating rink in winter), espresso bar, drinks bar, vending machine (which dispenses hunger-satisfying snacks, woot!), hot chocolate machines, chess tables, numerous places to sit, restrooms, and a bandstand/stage for summer concerts and plays.

It looks a little weird now with no buildings around it (except for the Great Hall), but that will change in due time. Also, I apologize if the pics are a little dark — I fast-forwarded the game to see how the lighting would turn out and had only taken a few pictures before nightfall.